Standard rooms (king or double-double) are $84 (+ taxes), suites are $120 (+ taxes), for 1–4 people per night. For reservations, call 256-721-1000 or toll free 800-345-7720 (which connects directly to this hotel). Mention Con†Stellation to get the convention rate. You '''must''' reserve your room by September 12<sup>th</sup> to be sure of getting the convention rate. The hotel ''is'' supporting another event and ''is'' expected to sell out so reserve your room '''''early'''''.

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Standard rooms (king or double-double) are $84 (+ taxes), suites are $120 (+ taxes), for 1–4 people per night. For reservations, call 256-721-1000 or toll free 800-345-7720 (which connects directly to this hotel). Mention Con†Stellation to get the convention rate. You '''must''' reserve your room by September 12<sup>th</sup> to be sure of getting the convention rate. The hotel ''is'' supporting another event elsewhere in town and ''is'' expected to sell out so reserve your room '''''early'''''.

Revision as of 16:43, 14 July 2012

The final Con†Stellation is over 🙁
We will be transforming this into a history site
Please bear with us as that transition will take some time

Welcome to the website for Con†Stellation, an annual general interest Science Fiction & Fantasy convention(←What's That?) in Huntsville Alabama. Con†Stellation (or Con*Stellation) is an annual, fan-run, general-interest science fiction & fantasy convention sponsored by NASFA—the North Alabama Science Fiction Association. The next con—Con†Stellation XXXI: Perseus—will be October 12-14, 2012. This page covers the basics with links to more detailed info on various aspects of the con. If what you want isn't posted yet, please see our Contact Info below to get in touch.

Con†Stellation 2012

Con†Stellation XXXI: Perseus will held at the Holiday Inn Express located near the intersection of University Drive and Jordan Lane:
3808 University Drive
Huntsville, AL, 35816Please note that the date is approximately a month later than in previous years.

Rates for children (though age 12) are fixed regardless of when they are purchased.

Ages 0 to 3 (as of October 12, 2012): Free

Ages 4 to 12 (as of October 12, 2012): $25

Children not accompanied by an Adult Member will be charged the Young Adult Membership rate.

Young Adult Memberships (students age 13-21, as of October 12, 2012) are $5 off the corresponding Adult Membership in effect at the time of purchase. We trust you (we really, really do) but reserve the right to request some proof of student status.

Sending in Your Registration

We will be posting a PDF Registration Form as soon as we can. In the meanwhile, you can send payment along with information on each member—name, badge name if any, and contact information (address, email, and phone as applicable)—to the convention address below.

Hotel

Holiday Inn Express Suite

We’re back for our eleventh (!) year at the Holiday Inn Express. The hotel is located near the intersection of University Drive and Jordan Lane in Huntsville, at 3808 University Drive, Huntsville, AL, 35816. Click here for a Google map.

Reserve Your Room (Now :-)

Standard rooms (king or double-double) are $84 (+ taxes), suites are $120 (+ taxes), for 1–4 people per night. For reservations, call 256-721-1000 or toll free 800-345-7720 (which connects directly to this hotel). Mention Con†Stellation to get the convention rate. You must reserve your room by September 12th to be sure of getting the convention rate. The hotel is supporting another event elsewhere in town and is expected to sell out so reserve your room early.

Room Parties

If you're planning a room party please write to or email the general convention address so we can assist in blocking you into the room party area. Mark your request Attention Room Party Coordination. The closer to the convention dates we get the more we love email.

Art Show & Auction

Select the above Main Article for information on the Art Show, Print Shop, and Auction.

Con†Stellation's annual Art Show, Print Shop, and Auction brings together science fiction, fantasy, or fandom-related art from both professional and amateur artists. We want you to enjoy just looking at the art, but we're happy to say that all the artwork in the Print Shop and the large majority of that on display in the Art Show is for sale. For complete info on how to buy or sell art at Con†Stellation (including fees, the shipping address, etc. for the latter) click through to the Art Show page.

Dealers Room

Please check back later for more-complete information on the Dealers Room. Meanwhile, note that tables are available for this year's convention. The first table ($60) includes one convention membership. Additional tables ($40) do not include additional memberships. All dealers and helpers must be members of the convention. All tables are 6′x30″. Contact us via any of the methods below if you have questions.

Programming

Please check back closer to the convention for information on programming at the con.

Gaming

We're continually working on making our gaming schedule great, so please check back often for additional information on the Gaming at Con†Stellation.

Console Gaming Night

Details are still being worked, but we plan to feature a night of console gaming Saturday evening. It'll start right after the Art Auction and run late, late into the night. More details will be provided as they are available.

Killer Cutthroat Spades Tournament

A Nice FriendlyGame of Cards™

Do you play spades and play to win? If so, have we got a deal for you! Killer Cutthroat Spades is a variant on no-partner spades with severe penalties for sandbagging, thus putting extra emphasis on both accurate bidding and sharp gameplay. What do you get if you win? Mostly bragging rights—no small thing in this neck of the woods! Never played Killer Cutthroat Spades before? No problem, we'll help. (Seriously, we actually will help. We love introducing the game to new folks. Some experience playing spades, bridge, or some other bid-and-trick based game is helpful, but not necessary. We can pretty much always round up enough players to teach you at a non-tournament game before you go swimming with the sharks.)

You can sign up at the door or contact "Uncle Timmy" by email to get on the list.

Lots More

We always have a good selection of gaming events with both preplanned and open tables. BYOG (Bring Your Own Game) or take out something from Craig's Closet, there's always a good game to be found. Again, we'll add details as they become available, much closer to the con.

Want to Run a Game?

If you want to run a game/tournament at Con†Stellation, please email the Game Master to start the discussion. You can also write the convention address below, marking your missive Attention: Game Master.

Con Suite

Our Convention Hospitality Suite (Con Suite(←What's That?) in the usual parlance) is one of the highlights of Con†Stellation. You'll certainly find the usual Con Suite munchies and soft drinks, but you'll also find more hearty fare at numerous times all through the con. Just ask anyone who's been to one of our conventions and you'll likely hear high praise for our mistress of victuals.

Volunteering

As a fan-run convention, Con†Stellation is run entirely by volunteers and we would like you to join us. We need people with various levels of convention experience, including none. We have to keep a lot of balls in the air to make a convention work; could you lend a hand (or two)? See our email or snailmail addresses below to let us know that you are interested in helping out! If you email, please include Volunteer in your e-mail subject line so that we can direct your request to the right person.

Questions? How to Contact Us

Use these methods to contact the convention for registration or to ask a question. Note that we don't currently offer web-based registration/payment so you'll eventually need to mail us a check.

The North Alabama Science Fiction Association sponsors Con†Stellation. To find out how to join this year-round club, or to get in touch with NASFA about any other matter, please see the External Links section below.

Flyers

You can download our latest flyer (version 1.5c—now two-sided—uploaded 14 June 2012) by clicking here—suitable for printing. Check back for updates as more info is added. The website will normally be your most up-to-date source, but this version allows more portability than your laptop ;-)

Con†Stellation History

The immediate precursor to Con†Stellation was ZerCon, a two-day convention in November 1981. While planning and executing ZerCon, we came up with the name "Con†Stellation" (or "Con*Stellation") for a planned ongoing series of three-day-weekend conventions.

The first Con†Stellation was held July 16–18, 1982, under the full name Con†Stellation I: The Pleiades. The time of year varied over the first few conventions, though at least one has been held each year since. After the first few years, the convention made the shift from a spring/summer convention to a fall convention. Each Con†Stellation has been subtitled with an astronomical constellation—usually one of the 88 official modern constellations, though the first one was named after an asterism in Taurus. The convention often uses the constellation as a theme in its advertising and for events at the convention.

Con†Stellation has been held at a number of Huntsville-area hotels over its history. Other than Con†Stellation II.V (2.5), each has been a 3-day (Friday to Sunday) event.

Future Conventions

Going forward, the plan is to have each year's Con†Stellation in October. Stay tuned to this website for more info on 2013 and forward.

External Links & Fannish Oddities

Other Fannish Stuff in Huntsville

The sponsor of Con†Stellation is the North Alabama Science Fiction Association, aka NASFA—a general-interest science fiction & fantasy club headquartered in Huntsville Alabama. Besides planning and running Con†Stellation, NASFA has monthly meetings that bring together sf/f/h/etc. fans from Huntsville, Madison, and other surrounding areas. Each meeting features both a noisy lively business meeting (which often digresses forays into a variety of sf/f/h/etc. topics) and a program. That latter may feature a regional author, cover a science topic of interest, display some off-the-beaten-track videos, or address almost any aspect of science fiction, fantasy, and related genres. There's also a social aspect to the club, with an "After-The-Meeting Meeting" each month and occasional other events. To find out how to join this year-round club, or to get in touch with NASFA about any other matter, please visit the NASFA website.

Though not sponsored by NASFA, it's very well worth noting that the Golden Anniversary DeepSouthCon—DSC 50—will be in Huntsville.

Fannish Oddities

A link to the Fannish Food Pyramid will be added here; please check back later.